Avocado

Vegan Enchilada Casserole

November 25, 2016
4.5
4 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 6 to 8
Author Notes

I wanted to keep it simple, so I didn't bother with a vegan cheese replacement. Instead, I let the top cool and covered it in avocado slices. —Gena Hamshaw

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 white or yellow onion, diced
  • 1 green or red bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • 1 poblano pepper, finely diced
  • 1 1/2 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen and thawed)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (more as needed)
  • 14-ounce can fire-roasted, diced tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (1 can beans, drained and rinsed)
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked kidney beans (1 can beans, drained and rinsed)
  • 24 6-inch corn or flour tortillas
  • 2 15-ounce cans red enchilada sauce (or 3 cups of your favorite homemade, red enchilada sauce)
  • Avocado slices
  • Chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
  2. Heat the oil in a very large skillet or saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion, peppers, and corn. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the onions are soft and clear. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the cumin, chili powder, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt, tomatoes, and beans. Reduce the heat to a simmer and heat all of the ingredients through. Taste the mixture and adjust salt as needed. Remove the mixture from heat.
  3. If you like, gently toast the tortillas over an open burner for a minute or so on each side. (It's fine to skip this step, but I like the slightly toasted flavor.)
  4. Layer 6 tortillas on the bottom of your baking pan. Spread half of the vegetable and bean mixture over the tortillas and cover with a scant cup of sauce. Repeat with another layer of tortillas, vegetables/beans, and sauce. Cover this with a final layer of 6 tortillas, then spread a cup of the enchilada sauce over the tortillas.
  5. Transfer to the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbly, the sauce on top is very dark, and the top layer of tortillas is toasted. Before serving, top the casserole with a generous layer of avocado slices and plenty of chopped cilantro. Slice and serve.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • celiaruthless
    celiaruthless
  • Cheryl
    Cheryl
  • Beverly Leech Parker
    Beverly Leech Parker
  • Mariarosa
    Mariarosa

6 Reviews

celiaruthless March 7, 2021
Tasty and simple! But, as with most Hamshaw recipes...double or triple seasonings
 
Cheryl March 5, 2017
Delicious! I used about 14 corn tortillas. I also put on a little shredded pepper jack vegan cheese. I'm not sure the cheese was necessary. The avocado on top is fabulous.
 
Cheryl April 28, 2017
Made it again, but without vegan cheese. Definitely like it better with the 'cheese'. I used shredded pepper jack cheese and put just a little bit in every layer--right after the beans. Then top it with cheese after the last layer of tortillas and sauce. It gives it a creaminess and binds it together. Flavor is great too. You don't have to use a lot of cheese.
 
Mariarosa December 23, 2016
Would it work to put the avocado slices in the layers and bake it all?
 
Beverly L. January 28, 2018
Cooked avocados should be avoided.
 
Beverly L. January 28, 2018
Cooked/hot avocados should be avoided.